Saugeen Shores Mayor Luke Charbonneau says council still needs to be convinced a proposed downtown planning overhaul would actually help make housing more affordable.
Council voted last week to defer a proposed Community Planning Permit System for downtown Port Elgin and Southampton until after the October municipal election.
The system would replace existing zoning and site-plan rules in both downtowns and combine several development approvals into one process.
Town officials have said the change could shorten approval timelines, simplify the process for property owners and support more housing and mixed-use development.
Charbonneau said the town has been looking at the system as part of a broader effort to improve access to housing.
"The town has been committed for some time to exploring every option possible really to improve accessibility to and affordability of housing in our community," Charbonneau said.
But he said the argument for making such a significant change has not been fully proven.
"I just didn’t hear enough about how it was going to pay off in a big way with respect to housing affordability," he said. "Come back and tell us how this is going to make housing more affordable."
Charbonneau said he is still open to the idea, but would not support the current proposal if it came to a vote today.
"I am willing to consider anything that’s going to get the housing we need built," he said. "I think a CPPS could do that, that’s why we’re exploring it."
However, he said the information presented so far has not shown that the benefits are worth the scale of the change.
Residents raised concerns at Monday’s public meeting about heritage protection, parking, public input and the amount of approval authority that could be delegated to municipal staff.
Charbonneau said those concerns played a major role in council’s decision to pause the process.
"The public is concerned, and justifiably so, that they continue to have a say in how their community is planned and how individual applications are dealt with," he said.
Under the proposed system, more public input would happen earlier, when the planning framework is designed, rather than later when individual applications come before council.
Charbonneau said that difference needs to be clearly understood before any final decision is made.
"The public is still able to be the final arbiter in terms of how their community develops," he said.
Some residents also argued Port Elgin and Southampton should not be treated the same under the new rules.
Charbonneau said the two communities have distinct identities that need to be respected.
"Port Elgin and Southampton are distinct communities with distinct histories and those things have to be protected and recognized," he said.
He added the challenge is allowing both communities to grow without losing their character.
"We have to protect our heritage while allowing our communities to evolve," Charbonneau said.
The proposal is connected to the town’s Housing Accelerator Fund commitments and has been under public review since earlier this year.
Charbonneau said he expects the Community Planning Permit System will be discussed during the municipal election campaign.
"I’m certain candidates will express their view on the CPPS," he said. "Housing affordability, but not only housing affordability, the affordability of living in our community is top of mind for the voters."
No new date has been set for the proposal to return to council.
